Fork rebuild progression question

[ehowellgs700]

Hello,
I'm working on my 1985 GS 700 and I'm wondering about the simplest progression to fix oil from weeping out of one of my forks and fixing the fact that the forks don't seem to be rebounding much at all.
I'm thinking new progressive springs, new seals, oil and any other parts that are recommended. I'm wondering if I can do this all without taking the forks off the bike, or do I need to take the wheel off, take the forks off and work them over? One final note, it it safe to ride the bike while it is weeping oil out of the one fork?
Any thoughts would be appreciated!

[Billyboy]

Short answers:

Pull the forks.

I'm riding with a blown seal till the end of season.

PS. Non of you bugger better make jokes about the blown seal. I'm Canadian, I've heard 'em all. :?

[SqDancerLynn1]

Wheel, brakes, fender everything has to come off It helps to remove the allen bolt in the botton of the fork tube before removing them

[louisciccoli]

To change the springs you do not have to remove the forks (however it makes it a lot easier to do). But, to change the seals you do. So I would not waste the time & try changing them with the forks still on the bike. Also, what kind of condition are your dust covers in? If they are questionable, I would change them too. They are good insurance for your seals & you have to take them off to get to the seals anyway. In my opinion, no it isn't safe to ride with oil coming out of them. There is a risk of getting oil on either the tire or break pads. Neither one is very good. Just my thoughts.

[8trackmind]

I'm riding with a blown seal till the end of season.
PS. Non of you bugger better make jokes about the blown seal. I'm Canadian, I've heard 'em all. :?

So the penguin says: No, it's only vanilla ice cream.

[8trackmind]

Any thoughts would be appreciated!

It's really way easier than you think. Snap ring pliers will also save you some time. (they are above the seals and quite large)

[ehowellgs700]

Great, thanks everyone! One last question, in the repair book it shows 3 different tools, some t wrenches, and a seal remover and replace tool, are these necessary, or are there ways around them to get everything taken apart properly? Thanks again, this'll be my weekend project.

[Hayseed]

Resealed last night

I put new progressive springs in two weeks ago just before leaving for a 800 mile trip. [ without removing the forks ] Pretty simple. Two hundred miles into the trip I blew the left seal. Didn't really affect much on the remaining 600 miles. Last night I removed the left fork and installed a new seal. An hour and a half. Noticed minor scoring on the slider tube so I smoothed it a bit with emery clothe. Rode to work this morning and just checked. Looks good so far. You can get by with a 3/4" dowell rod 16 inches long and an air impact to remove the bottom allen bolt. Just make sure to clean the tube out well when finished.

[8trackmind]

are these necessary, or are there ways around them to get everything taken apart properly.

Yes, you can get around using those tools.
Seal puller is a luxury, a backwards 5/8 spark plug socket on a long extention can sub the "special tool".
(there are other ways around that one as well)
I would still get some snap ring pliers though. (they are pretty cheap)

[ehowellgs700]

Awesome, thanks guys, I figured there were ways around the special tools and I'll pick up the snap ring plyers on the way home today. Rode 30 miles to work as usual and all is well, just like to minimize all seeping oils on this little gem!

[8trackmind]

Awesome, thanks guys, I figured there were ways around the special tools !

Check this out as well. :-D

http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/showthread.php?t=96824&highlight=spark+plug+socket

[KGB]

And this is helpful

http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/showthread.php?t=98339

[ehowellgs700]

Thanks for this thread, I didn't find this when I was searching, but it's really awesome. I can't seem to get that stanchion tool pic to download, is there a way to re-post that?

[ehowellgs700]

Very Cool, thanks KGB, these pictures fill in the gaps, I've had that "ah-ha" moment!

[waterman]

Another quick tip, before loosening triple clamp fork bolts, unscrew the fork caps. It is easier to break the caps free when they are still clamped tight to the triple clamps as opposed to in your bench vise. Don't completely remove the caps, just loosen.
One other tip is to use plastic wrapper between fork seal and fork slider when sliding down fork during install, keep seal from getting nicked up.